FOSSIL AND RECENT 



165 



ep1-2 un2 



h1-2 



Fig. 83. 



Albula vulpes (Linnaeus). Caudal skeleton in left lateral view. Arrows indicate 

 upper and lower principal fin-rays. Composite of several specimens. 



supraneurals. Each is sigmoid in shape, with the anterior ones considerably stouter 

 than the posterior members of the series. 



Epineural intermuscular bones are borne by the neural arches throughout most of 

 the abdominal and caudal regions. Epipleurals are found in the posterior abdominal 

 region and grade posteriorly into a ventral series found throughout the caudal region. 



Squamation. Lateral line scale counts vary considerably. Specimens from both 

 coasts of Central America give counts ranging from 71-77. Hildebrand (1963 : 134), 

 who based his counts on specimens from the western North Atlantic, records a range 

 of 65-67. It may be mentioned here that an Aden specimen (B.M.N.H. 1962.3.26.9) 

 also differs from the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific specimens in having 19 

 dorsal fin-rays. Hildebrand (1963) observed that only occasionally do Atlantic 

 specimens show such a high count. Regrettably the dorsal fin of a Seychelles speci- 

 men was broken and accurate counts could not be made. 



The branchiostegal ray count also varies with respect to geographical distribution 

 (McAllister 1968 : 37) being higher in fishes from India and the Indo-Australian 

 Archipelago. These biometrical differences may justify the recognition of a second 

 Recent species. 



Returning to squamation, the transverse count immediately anterior to the dorsal 

 fin is eight above and nine below the lateral line row, excluding a median row of small 



